When Pepe Mel returned to the Benito Villamarin as Real Betis coach in December 2014, the Verdi-Blancos had managed to win their four previous games to rekindle some belief in a season that had turned out to be the opposite to what the majority of... Read more

Goals rained down in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on Tuesday with Valencia edging out Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona cruising.
Valencia, Barca, Almeria and Celta de Vigo all progressed to the round of 16 with 24 goals scored across the four matches... Read more

Valencia still plan to go on the attack in their Copa del Rey second leg against Rayo Vallecano despite leading the tie.
An 85th-minute goal from Rodrigo De Paul led Valencia to a 2-1 win at Rayo in the first leg of the round-of-32 tie... Read more

Emanuele Giaccherini limped off with an apparent groin injury as Sunderland defeated Real Betis 2-0 on Thursday.
On an evening that saw Jack Rodwell make his first appearance for Gus Poyet's side, Giaccherini was forced off in the first half... Read more

About

Real Betis was formed in 1907, although its foundation was not officially recognised until 1909. Betis became the first team from the Andalusia region of Spain to join La Liga in 1934, ahead of their biggest rivals, Sevilla FC.

The club has strong links with the Spanish royal family. In 1914, Betis became the first club to receive patronage from King Alfonso XIII, adding the "Real" (royal) to their name in the process. Today, Juan Carlos I, the current King of Spain, is an honorary club member, as well as his son, Felipe, Prince of Asturias.

In 1931, the club reached the final of the Copa del Rey. Although unsuccessful, losing 3-1 to Athletic Bilbao, it signalled the beginning of the club's golden era, under the management of Patrick O'Connell. The following season, the club won the Segunda División and gained promotion to the top flight and in 1934-35 the club won La Liga for the first and only time in its history. Since that time, the club has suffered multiple relegations and bounced up and down between the divisions. In 1977, the club competed in a repeat of the 1931 Copa Del Rey final, this time emerging as winners via a penalty shootout. In 1998, Real Betis signed Brazilian winger Denilson for a world record fee of £21.5 million. In 2005, Betis won a third Copa Del Rey, beating Osasuna 2-1 after extra time.

Home matches are played at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, which has served as the club's stadium since 1929. It has a capacity of 52,745. The club has long-standing plans to expand the capacity of the ground to around 65,000 seats, although there is currently no concrete timeline for this process.